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You can’t always get what you want, but Hank Steinbrenner doesn’t know how that feels in the short time he has been running the Yankees.

When Mariano Rivera left a message for the Yankees’ front office yesterday that the future Hall of Fame closer was accepting a three-year, $45 million deal, the Yankees went 3-for-3 in retaining key free agents. Four-for-four if you include them picking up the $16 million option on Bobby Abreu.

Rivera, who has to pass a physical before the deal becomes official and announced, joins Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez in returning to The Bronx. Posada signed a four-year, $52.4 million contract last week and Rodriguez will eventually ink a 10-year, $275 million pact that will become official when the sides can agree on a revenue-sharing program that will allow him to share in the financial windfall the Yankees will receive when Rodriguez closes in on Barry Bonds’ home run record. The deal could easily surpass $300 million.

“I am pleased, very pleased,” Steinbrenner said by phone early last night. “Now if we can get Andy (Pettitte) back, we will be good.”

Pettitte, whose agent Randy Hendricks said won’t make up his mind between pitching for the Yankees or retiring until next month, would certainly be a welcome addition to a staff that is without a No. 1 starter that is so important to October success. Pettitte isn’t a No. 1, but he is quality.

“There is still plenty of time,” Steinbrenner said of waiting for Pettitte. “He always stays in good shape so there is no rush.”

As for Rivera, third on the all-time save list with 443, he is the highest paid reliever in the game. The $15 million a year dwarfs the Mets’ Billy Wagner’s $10.75 million. Toronto’s B.J. Ryan signed a $47 million deal, the highest ever by a reliever, but that was over five years.

When the Yankees increased their offer from three years and $39 million to $45 million, many believed Rivera would jump at it. But he wanted a fourth year and it’s not clear if he turned down a team offering a fourth season.

“There are always doubts, from right after the season ended all the way until last week,” Steinbrenner said of being unsure if he was going to get all three stars back.

Talking on a conference call to announce him as the AL MVP winner, Rodriguez was elated Rivera was staying in pinstripes.

“Mariano is someone we can’t live without,” Rodriguez said of the all-time No. 3 leader in saves who converted 30 of 34 chances this season. “He is one of a kind and so unique for what he does for us. He is an unbelievable force in our clubhouse. In many ways he is the voice for a lot of people. He means so much, more so than what he does on the field.”

With Rivera inked, the Yankees need to find somebody to work the seventh and eighth innings for him. Ideally, that won’t be Joba Chamberlain, who is ticketed for the rotation. However, if they can’t find somebody they believe can handle the role, the Yankees will keep Chamberlain in the pen.

As of right now the job belongs to Kyle “The Mop” Farnsworth, who has failed miserably in two seasons when presented with the important role of setup man. The Yankees have an interest in bringing Luis Vizcaino back, but he remains a free agent.